Friday, June 7, 2013

June Already!

Time has flown since my last post. Today is Emma's last day of school where she has been working as a paraprofessional. She will miss the friends she has made there and the kiddos she has worked with. We have been busy ever since she signed her contract for her first teaching position in April. She will be teaching kindergarten and she is excited beyond words. As I've told people, I no longer have to have a book burning. I have many boxes of books in the garage that I weeded outsaved for her when I retired from kindergarten. I took the ones I could use to my room at the church preschool where I work.

Of course the image is sideways!

We looked for a few weekends and found an apartment that she likes and we feel good about. More $ than we had hoped but it is in a great location for her and has some amenities that will save money in the long run.Now we are working on furniture for her. We've made numerous trips to furniture stores and IKEA. She finally decided on the sofa she wants from IKEA and that can be delivered to her apartment when she gets moved. I found 2 of these chairs for a great bargain this week.

I loved the lines and that the frame is solid wood. Knowing the look and color scheme she wants, I have a vision for them. Found labels under the chairs that say they were made at the Paoli Chair Company in Paoli, Indiana in 1975!

After a few hours pulling staples to get all the layers of the old upholstery off and a couple coats of paint, this is what we have so far. Emma picked out some great fabric for them. I used homemade chalk paint. I tried to find it locally with no luck so found a way to make it. Here's a link to the recipe I used. There are a bunch of recipes out there.www.iheartnaptime.net/chalk-paintHope to finish these up in a couple of days.Then we have some kitchen table chairs and an end table to paint. Good thing this school year just ended for Emma!

My biggest sewing project to get finished a few weeks ago was this.

This is my favorite picture as I love how it looks out on the green grass! This is just the top before quilting/binding.

Here it is all done. Feet not included. This is the quilt, "Bricks in a Barnyard" by Bonnie Hunter, from her book, Scraps and Shirttails II. I took this class with her in January. I gave this quilt to my great niece, Carly. She and her husband and my GREAT-GREAT nephew will welcome to their family a little boy from Africa sometime in the next year. They are having a fundraiser soon and I gave this to her to use at it.I am making 2 pillows for Emma's apartment also. I have had vein surgery on both legs in the last 3 weeks so there have been days when I couldn't sit or stand at a machine so I got all the yo-yo's done and just need to get them finished. The blue tape is there so I would know how large I want the finished pillow tops to be.

5 comments:

You are so creative and your work is beautiful, all of it, painting, quilting, sewing! Don't know how your great niece will be able to let the quilt go. Sorry to hear about your surgery but hope that it helps you in the future.

That surgery sounds rough. Take care, my friend.As expected, the quilt is beautiful! I am scared to cut the border. Ha! Have to square up the middle and add the inside border before I am ready to cut the braid anyhow. I love this. Don't see how you gave it away, but it is for a wonderful reason.Yo yo pillows will be precious.Love how the chair is coming along!

Great find on the chairs....I know your magic will make them real works of art. Since we'll be moving Emma and Allison into apartments within short distance of each other, I look forward to some fun times ahead. I really enjoy your blog!

Wow, the make-over of those chairs will be fabulous! I hope to see them when they are all finished, too. As for that quilt, it is wonderfully scrappy and a tribute to Bonnie Hunter. I love it so much, please contact me so that I may buy some chances to own it and happy to help your charity.

About Me

I am married to a wonderful man and we have a beautiful daughter who is all grown up. I retired from teaching kindergarten after 31 years. I now teach the cutest 4 year olds 2 days a week. I love to quilt! I also enjoy reading, gardening, and cooking. I have a large extended family and wish I could see them more often!